Baba Siddique was shot dead in Bandra East on October 12, 2024
Mumbai: Shehzeen Siddique, the widow of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, has approached the Bombay High Court demanding a fresh, court-supervised investigation into her husband’s murder, alleging a “biased and tainted” probe by the Mumbai Police that has shielded powerful, politically-connected suspects.
Baba Siddique was shot dead in Bandra East on October 12, 2024. While the police have since arrested 26 individuals and filed a massive 5,500-page charge-sheet under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), the petitioner claims the investigation is a facade designed to protect the real conspirators.
In her petition, Shehzeen Siddique has urged the court to transfer the case to a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) or, alternatively, to an independent police agency from outside Maharashtra. She contends that the current investigation has deliberately ignored a critical motive: her husband’s opposition to lucrative slum redevelopment projects.
A “Mountain” of Investigation to Find a “Rat”
The petition pulls no punches in its criticism of the police’s work, describing it as an exercise in creating an “impression of a laborious and deep investigation.” It uses a sharp analogy, stating the effort is akin to “digging a mountain and finding out a rat,” suggesting that the police have focused on a minor culprit while ignoring the larger conspiracy.
The police have named Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, as the alleged mastermind. However, Shehzeen Siddique has contested this narrative, arguing that Bishnoi’s role is being exaggerated to deflect attention. “It is not acceptable and convincing that he would be eliminated for the given trifling reasons,” the petition states, adding that the charge-sheet conveniently “stops at Anmol Bishnoi without going to the root of the truth.”
The “Builder Lobby” and Political Pressure
The petition explicitly names several prominent developers—including Mohit Kamboj, Prithvijeet Rajaram Chavan, Ashok Mundra, and Nabil Patel—alleging they are part of a powerful builder lobby with strong political backing. It claims Baba Siddique had become a “hurdle” to their high-stakes SRA projects spanning from Bandra to Andheri and was eliminated for his opposition.
As evidence of a threat, the petition cites a WhatsApp message sent by builder Prithvijeet Chavan to Siddique on July 15, 2024, which the latter forwarded to his wife on July 29. The message read, “I wouldn’t want you to jeopardize Zeeshan’s political career for my project or my gains.”
Further compounding the allegations of a cover-up, the petition claims that the Investigating Officer, ACP Kishor Kumar Shinde, acted under “political pressure” and intentionally avoided interrogating these key suspects.
Ignored Warnings and a Political Motive
The filing also highlights a failure of the state apparatus to protect the former minister. It documents repeated requests for enhanced security made by Baba Siddique and his son, Zeeshan Siddique—who was a sitting MLA at the time—to the Commissioner of Police and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. These requests, the petition alleges, were ignored.
Adding another layer of political motive, the petition reveals that Baba Siddique was due to be nominated as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) around the time of his murder.
Alleged Procedural Lapses
Beyond the allegations of high-level manipulation, the petition points to specific procedural flaws in the investigation. It claims that Shehzeen Siddique’s statement was never recorded, despite being a key witness. The charge-sheet is also critiqued for relying on “inadmissible material,” failing to conduct identification parades, mishandling voice samples, and improperly seizing mobile phones.
Most strikingly, the petition alleges that the police were reluctant to pursue Anmol Bishnoi’s extradition, with the investigating officer orally stating that “they were not interested” in bringing him back to India.
Conclusion
The petition before the Bombay High Court paints a picture of a murder investigation compromised by political influence and powerful business interests. It challenges the official narrative and calls for a truly independent inquiry to uncover what the petitioner believes is the true conspiracy behind the assassination of a prominent political figure. The court’s decision on whether to intervene will be a critical moment for a case that sits at the volatile intersection of crime, politics, and real estate in India’s financial capital.
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